Audio Engineering

The audio engineering course is intended for musicians/home recordists who wish to gain an understanding of multi-track hard disc recording. You will learn how to record your own songs as well as for other musicians and bands.

We are the first ever certified folk high school in Denmark to be Education Partners with Avid. During the course you will work with official courseware provided by Avid and have the tools to learn all the basics and much more in Pro Tools. Being an Avid education partner, you will have all the latest software and materials to work with.

The basics of microphones, external effects, setting up live sound, on the spot live recording of our concerts and much, much more are all a part of your course.

The school is equipped with its very own professional studio with Pro Tools 10 Complete Production Toolkit , 27″ Quadcore i7 processor iMacs, Soundcraft GB2, fours types of studio monitors, professional headphones and quality microphones that are found in the music industry for both live and studio.

Timetable for the audio engineering line

As an audio engineer, you have the possibility to set up live professional concerts at the Musik and Theatre house and go on tour with the music, vocal and the electronic music composition lines. You will learn how to make front of house sound on a Soundcraft MH2 40 channel mixing console and monitor sound on a Midas Venice 320, a 32 channel mixing console. Both very different positions to learn in the audio field and both just as important. Using a split system, enables us to work separately, giving the band optimal sound quality and the audience an experience of a life time.

Our main aim is that you will experience studio recordings, live concerts, mixing and CD productions. A solid foundation that will open up future possibilities.

You will also participate in different and interesting workshops and watch relevant documentary films regarding recording, sound and techniques. There is a library of DVD’s, recording magazines and books available for you to indulge in.

The course involves the following:

Avid Official Curriculum – User certification:
Pro Tools 101 – An introduction to Pro Tools

Console (16/24/32/40)
- console signal flow
- connecting equipment
- equalizer system of a console

Microphones
- the polar characteristics
- microphone techniques
- microphone placements

Quality management
- arrangements
- song productions
- the overall sound quality

Recording techniques:
- digital recording
- external effects & plugins
- studio atmosphere
- communication
- recording voices & overdubs
- raw mixes
- finalizing

Live concerts
- pre-production meetings
- technical riders
- track Sheets/crib sheets
- FOH sound
- monitor mixes

Effects
Compressors, gates, reverbs, delays, Limiters?flangers etc.

Recording
We go several times during the semester in the studio and record tracks with singers and musicians. You learn about the process in the studio and what it takes to be a studio engineer.

Live jobs
As a technician you can make professional live gigs in Music and Theatre House and come on tour with our music and singing line.

Ear training
You will also have the opportunity to develop your ear with frequency training so you can quickly solve technical problems and improve the sound quality of recordings and live.

Music theory
Theory is important. We are therefore working intensively with both musical notes, fine tuning the ears, improvisations, analysis and arrangements. Students are divided in three teams from beginner to conservatory level.

Sing, play and dance!
This is an important part of your education. We will work with percussion, imitations, pulse and the feel of the rhythm. You will also work with different combinations between voice, hands and feet. It is both challenging and fun!

Inspiration
We are regularly visited by bands, guest speakers, students from conservatories and professional artists from outside.

We have had a visit from Gail Ann Dorsey (David Bowie, Tears for Fears), Bassida (Prince, Zap Mama), Jonatha Brooke, Kasper Eistrup (Kashmir), Chris Minh Doky, Ben Butler (Suzanne Vega), Leo Sayer (world famous singer / songwriter), Rich Mercurio, whynot Jansveld (Crash Test Dummies) Forgetting Feet, Henry Marstal Cecilie Norby & Carsten Dahl Valravn, Mathias Grip, The Rasmus, Laila Skovmand and Symfobia, Katherine Gislinge, Per V, Annemarie Zimakoff and many more.

Music Culture and workshops
One morning a week is devoted to Music Culture, where we focus on musical sub-themes:

“Music marathon” is where you hear new and inspiring music with background stories and anecdotes. Music history, where we look at the rhythmic music’s development from the earliest blues recordings of the 80′s sound aesthetics, and get music placed in a historical and cultural context. Lots of music samples!

We arrange regular workshops in monitor/feed check, soldering and repairing cables, Crown amplifier’s and their software. Tuning of drums. How do you make good sound on guitar and bass amplifier. Adjusting and configuring of string instruments.

Guest Teachers
We have good cooperation with both students and teachers from the MGK, Sibelius Academy (Finland), Georg Neumann GmbH (Berlin) and conservatories (Denmark).